Peepni - Jo Hum Chahein by Sachin Gupta, Monali Thakur, Jaspreet Singh, Mahi Maninder Singh

There is an honesty to Peepni - Jo Hum Chahein that separates it from most Hindi songs released around the same time. Behind the melody is the work of Sachin Gupta, whose composition choices give Peepni - Jo Hum Chahein its distinctive texture.

Sachin Gupta, Monali Thakur, Jaspreet Singh, Mahi Maninder Singh's vocal here has a quality that is difficult to describe but impossible to miss — it simply feels true. Featuring Achint Kaur, Aly Khan, Simran Mundi, Sunny Gill, the song carries the weight of the film's emotional arc and delivers it with conviction.

The song dates from 2011, but nothing about it sounds dated — the emotions it captures are not tied to a moment. There is no right time to listen to Peepni - Jo Hum Chahein. There is only the moment you press play and realise it was the right choice.

Running to 3:40, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. The track stands as evidence that Sachin Gupta, Monali Thakur, Jaspreet Singh, Mahi Maninder Singh and Sachin Gupta, working together, are capable of something well above the ordinary.